Switch-controlling device for uailway-tracks



'A.1. GUHNEY. SWITCH CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

. APPLICATION HEED SEPT. 13. l9l8. 1,303,296.

Patented May13,1919.

HT OE/VEK ALBERT J. eunnnr, or CANTON, OHIO.

SWITCH-CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-TRACKS.

Specificatioii of Letters Patent.

1 Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed September 13, 1918. Serial No. 253,971.

To all whom it may concern: r

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. Gunnnna citizen of the United States, residingtatl Canton, in the county of Stark and.v State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Switch-Controlling Device for Railway- Tracks, of which the following is a specification. r

This invention relates to switch controlling devices for railway;tracksfandunore especially to this class of devices. designed for use in mines, the object being to provide means whereby the engineer or motorman driving the train or car approaching the switch may by operating a lever attached to an engaging arm, set the switch at aposition for either the main line or the turnout.

Another object is to construct a device of this class so that the engineer or motorman after his train has passed through the switch may rethrow the switch into the position which it formerly occupied.

Another object is to provide means for holding the turnout line open after the engineer has operated the mechanism to close the turnout and open the main line until the last car taking the siding has cleared the switch points when the switch will automatically be swung to turn the siding and en the main line.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. 1

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch operating mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, a part of the track be ng broken away for the purpose of shortenmg the view. a

hinged plate carrying the engaging arm and operating lever.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings, in which- 1 indicates generally the main line of a railroad track and 2 the turnout or siding. The switch points indicated at 3 are secured to. a sliding plate 4 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The bellcrank lever 5 mounted upon the bracket 6 is secured to the bifurcated end of a rod 7, which rod passes through a depending eye 8 secured to the underside of the plate 4. A coil spring 9 is interposed between the eye 8 and the enlargedbifurcated end of the rod 7 so that when the inner arm of the bell crank 5 is rocked toward the rails the spring 9 will be compressed and forced to exert a pressure against theeye 8 and thus move the switch points 3 into position to open the siding.

Secured to the rail and spaced a short distance down the main track from the approach end of theswitch is abed. plate 10 to which are secured spaced tip-standing guide bars 11, the ends of which are beveled.

inwardly as shown and for apurpose to be hereinafter set forth. The outer guide member 11 is slotted as indicated at 12 and projecting through the slot is one arm 13 of the bell crank lever pivoted at 14 to a support bracket 15 secured to the guide member. The opposite arm 16 of the bell crank lever is pivoted to a hooked member 17 which is secured by a tie rod 18 to the bell crank 5. One arm 19 of a bell crank pivoted to a bracket 20, secured adjacent the bracket 15 engages the co-joinedends of the arm 16 and hook 17. The other arm 21 of this bell crank extends outwardly and has secured thereto one end of a flexible cable or chain 22, the opposite end of which extends down the main line and is secured through an eye in a pivoted block 23 which is mounted upon a base plate 24: substantially similar to the 100 base plate 10 previously referred to. A guide member 25 identical with one of the guide members 11 is secured to the base plate 24. A pair of inwardly extending Fig. 2 is a cross section on an enlarged so scale taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on an enlarged scale on the line 3-3 of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 4; is adetail perspective view ofthe arms 27 project from the pivoted bl0ck23, the inner ends of the arms 27 lying it directly in line with the passage formed by the spacing of the guide mem ers 11. 1 j

As shown in the drawings the mechanism above described is positioned to throwthe siding or turn-out. open sothat. a trainapproaching the switch will take the turn-out.

The switch point 3 next to=the curved stock rail has secured therethrough and has projecting outwardly therefrom a rod 28,

I which passes through a bracket 29 depending from the stock rail and carries on its end a disk washer and nut 30. Interposed between the washer and the bracket 29 is a coil spring 31, which is of approximately the same strength as the spring 9 on the rod 7 When it is desired to hold the main line open the bell crank 5- is positioned so that no tension is being exerted against the spring 9. The spring 31 will therefore be free to exert its tension and swing the switch points downwardly as seen in Fig. l, and thus open the main line. When, however, it is desired to open the siding the bell crank 5 is rocked so that a tension is exerted upon the spring 9, which tension is increased as the end of the bell crank moves inwardly until the tension exerted by the spring 9 is greater than that exerted by the spring 31 at the same instant, when the sliding plate 4 will be moved over to throw the switch points into the position shown in Fig. 1. When the bell crank 5 is once more swung out releasing the pressure from the spring 9 the spring 31 will of course swing the switch points to open the main line.

Connected to the outside of the stock rail of the siding is a bracket 32, in which is pivoted a swinging link 33 to the outer end of which is connected aflexible cable or chain 34, the opposite end of which cable is secured to the outer end of an arm 35. The arm 35- is pivoted into the bracket lfi by the pivot 14 and has an offset portion down-turned upon its end as at 36 and arranged to lie against the outer side of the arm 13. A stop 37'within the bracket 32 is arranged to prevent the arm 33 from swinging beyond a predetermined point and a spring 38 secured at one end to the member 17 is attached to the cable 34 to exert a slighttension upon the said cable and hold the arm 33 against thestop 37.

Referring now to Fig. 4 the plate 40 1s designed'to be secured to the side of the locomotive or motor car of the train and hinged to the plate 40 is a swinging plate 41, which is normally held in alinement with the plate 40 by springs 42. An engaging arm 43 slidably mounted through brackets upon the plate 41 is pivotally secured at its upper end to an operating lever 44, which lever is mounted in a bracket carried by the plate 41;

The plate 40 will be mounted upon the side of the locomotive or motor car to bring the lower end of the. engaging arm 43 as nearly as possible into alinement with the armsc27 and the spaces between the guide members 11, but since the locomotive or motor car is generally rocking somewhat in passing over such tracks as are used in coal mines and the like, it is desirable to hinge the plate 41 so that a slight amount of lateral movement can be obtained and in this connection the beveled ends formed upon the guide member 25 and the members 11, previously referred to, will serve to guide the end of the engaging arm into the slot bctween the said guide members.

In the operation of my device we will assume that the engineer approaching the switch, set as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, desires to proceed down the main line. In approaching the switch before reaching the mechanism of which the arms 27 form a part, the engineer will move the handle of the operating lever 4L forward and thus force the end of the engaging arm 43 downwardly. The engaging arm is now in position to contact with the nearest of the arms 27, swing the block 23, and thereby exert a pull upon the cable 22. This causes a pull to be exerted upon the arm 21 of the bell crank lever mounted in the bracket 20, the other arm 19 of the said bell crank being swung outwardly and kicking the arm 16 of the bell crank lever mounted in the bracket 15. It-will be noted that the connecting point between the arm 16 and the hook 17 is past the horizontal center line of the pivotal point of the bell crank of which the arm 16 is a part, so that when the arm 19 has pushed the arm 16 past center the tension of the spring 9 against the bell crank 5 will rock the said bell crank and exert a pull upon the tie rod 18 allowing the hook 17 to swing to the opposite side of the center. This relieves the tension upon the spring 9 and allows the spring 31 to swing the switch points to open the main line. It will be seen that the arm 13' is now swung into position to extend laterally across the space between the guides 11. The engineer therefore immediately releases the operating handle of the operating lever 44- after passing the guide 25, thus allowing the engaging arm 43 to rise so that it will not engage the arm 13.

We will now assume that the engineer 011 the next car desires to use the sidingbut wishes to reset the switch points to leave the main line open after his car has passed through. In order to accomplish this I secure to the stock rail as shown in Fig. a plurality of brackets 45 upon either side of the said stock rail and through each pair of the said brackets is pivotally mounted a stub shaft 46. Secured to each stub shaft and extending downwardly at an angle therefrom at either arms carry at their lower ends square-collars 48. A squared shaft 49 fits within the squared collars as shown and upon one of its ends is secured an arm 50, which is pivotally end is an ar1n47, which connected to a bracket 51 secured to a plat form rail 52. One of the squared shafts 49 has formed upon its outer end a crank and to this crank is connected one end of a rod 54, the other end of the said rod being connected to the outer extremity of thebell crank 5. i

guide arm As the engineer approaches the mechanism ofwhich the guides 11 are a part, he depresses theengaging arm 43 upon hislocomotive so that it will enter the space between the guides 11, contact with the arm 13 and swing it into the position shown in Fig. 1, thus opening the switch to the siding. He will now hold the engaging arm 43 depressed after turning into the siding, causing the arm 43 to contact with the arm upon the bracket 32. A pan is thus erted through the cable 34 upon the lever 35 and by virtue of the Contact between the depending portion 36 and the arm 13, the arm17 will once more be swung past center.

this time under the tension of the spring 9 until the last wheel of the last car in the train taking the siding has passed the far end of the platform rail 52. As long as the pressure is maintained upon the platform rail 52 the crank 53 and rod 54 will prevent the bell crank 5 from swinging to open the main line. As soon, however, as the pressure is removed from the platform rail the springs 9 and 31 acting together will rock the bell crank 5 and force the rod 54 to rotate the crank 53 which causes the arms 47 to swing upon the stub shafts 46 and carry the squared shafts 49 through the arc of a circle the center of which is the stub shafts. The arms 50, pivotally connected to the brackets 51 secured to the platform rail, will cause the platform rail to be raised, describe an arc and come to rest again against the stock rail. The main line is now reopened for the next train.

We will now assume that an engineer coming out of the siding 20 on to the main line when the switch is set as shown in Fig. 1 wishes to run down the main line until the end of his train has cleared the switch points and then back the train past the switch and up the main line. The engaging arm 43 is depressed as the 25 and the arm 27 on the side to ward the switch is engaged thus rocking the 55 block 23 and through the cable 22 rocking the bell crank 21.' The hooked arm 17 is now kicked out again thus allowing the switch points to be free to close as soon as the last wheel of the last car in the train has cleared the switch points 3 and the engineer may now back his train up the main line.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the character described,

open the siding, The bell crank 5 does not, however, swing upon a locomotive approaches the comprising a sliding plate attached to the switch points of a railway switch, a bell crank pivotally mounted tojmove said plate, means connected to said bell crank for swing ing said bell crank to move the switch points to open the siding, a second bell crank engaging'said means, a cable secured tosaid second bell crank, arms pivotally mounted and secured to said cable and an engaging arm carried by a locomotive or the like and designed to contact with said pivotally mounted armsand to swing said second bell crank and cause said means connected to said first bell crank to rock said first bell crank andmove said switch points to open the mainline; i

2. In a device of the characterdescribedya pair of switch points, a slidingbar connected to said switch points, means in ad vance' of said switch designed to movethe said sliding plate to close the main line and pivoted arms in advance of said'means, a flexible connection between said pivoted arms and said means, an engaging arm carried by a locomotive or the like and designed to be moved into alinement with said pivoted arms, a guide arranged to guide said engaging arm into contact with said pivoted arms and to rock said pivoted arms and actuate said switch throwing means to close the siding and open the main line.

3. In a device of the character described, a pair of switch points, a sliding plate connected to said switch points and movable therewith, a lever mechanism in advance of said switch and connected to said slidin plate, an engaging arm hingedly mounted locomotive or the like and designed to operate said lever mechanism and to move said sliding plate to close the main line and open the siding, a pivoted arm mounted be yond said switch and upon said siding and in alinement with the path of travel of said engaging arm when the said arm is depressed and designed to be engaged by said engaging arm and swing upon its pivot, a flexible cable or the like connecting said pivoted arm to the said lever mechanism to actuate said lever mechanism to open the main line and close the switch.

4. In a device of the character described, a pair ofswitch points, a sliding plate connected to said switch points and movable therewith, a lever mechanism in advance of said switch and connected to said slidin plate, an engaging arm hingedly mounte upon a locomotive or the like and designed to operate said lever mechanism and to move said sliding plate to close the main line and open the siding, a pivoted arm mounted beyond said switch and upon said siding and in alinement with the path of travel of said engaging arm when the said arm is depressed and designed to be engaged by said engaging arm and swing upon its pivot, a

flexible cable or the like connecting said pitoted arm to the said lever mechanism to actuate said lever mechanism to open the main line and close the switch, and means upon said siding for preventing the said switch points from moving to open the main line and close the siding until the last wheel of the vehicle or train of vehicles entering said siding has passed beyond the switch. points. .i

5. In a device of the character described, a pair of switch points, a sliding plate connected tosaid switch points and movable therewith, a lever mechanism in advance of said switch and connected to said sliding plate, an engaging arm hingedly-mounted upon a locomotive or the like and designed to operate said lever mechanism and to move said sliding plate to close the main line and open the sidlng, a pivoted arm mounted beyond said switch and upon said siding and in alinement with the pat-h oi travel of said engaging arm when the said arm is depressed and designed to be engaged by said engaging arm and swing upon its pivot, a flexible cable or the like connecting said pivoted arm to the said lever mechanism to actuate said lever mechanism to open the main line and close the switch, and a platform rail pivotally mounted upon the said siding and operatively connected to said sliding plate and designed to prevent movement of said sliding plate to open the main line and close the siding until the last wheel of the vehicle or vehicles entering said siding passes beyond the switch points.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT J. GURNEY Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

